Appeals Court Orders Removal of California Vioxx Judge

LOS ANGELES - The California Court of Appeal has granted a writ of mandate filed by Merck & Co. and ordered the removal of the trial court judge who has been overseeing the state's consolidated Vioxx docket for more than two years. Merck & Co., Inc. v. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County, et al., No. B180613 (Calif. Ct. App., 2nd Dist.).

In a 13-page opinion issued April 15, the Second Circuit Court of Appeal held that because Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter D. Lichtman failed to disclose on the record that he took Vioxx until the drug …